Topic > What You Need to Know About the Netherlands

Index IntroductionTop 5 Places to Visit in the CountryCountry AttractionsBudgetMoney Saving TipsWorks CitedIntroductionThe Netherlands is also known as another name Holland which comes under the European Union. It is a beautiful place to travel and includes a lot of heritage in itself. Previously ruled by its emperors, it is now a constitutional monarchy with a unitary parliament. The most spoken language in the country is Dutch, but English is something you can use to communicate as a large part of the population also understands and speaks English. The Netherlands is a country that has most of its land below sea level and the Dutch managed to keep the land dry with the help of their canal system. The Dutch are also famous as Water Wizards. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Things to See and Do: In the Netherlands you can do many things that you cannot experience in any other country.Amsterdam is the capital of Holland with many old buildings and monuments which attracts tourists from all over the world. Some of which are: Central Station. Historic centre/old side. Willet-Holthuysen Museum. Eastern Canal Loop. van Loon Museum. Eastern Canal Loop. Dam Square. Old Town/Red Light DistrictHet Rembrandthuis MuseumBeurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange)Oost-Indisch Huis.De WaagCoffee Shops: It is well known that the Netherlands is the only country where people don't go to drink coffee, you drink a lot of it more than that! People can enjoy marijuana, weed, etc. All soft drugs are legal in this country. Red light districts: Holland is a country where there is a legal red light district in every city. Amsterdam's red light district is the second largest in the world where people come to enjoy a lot of things like live sex shows and strip clubs. Water transport: There is a transport system parallel to the roads of Holland. All roads are accompanied by canals used for transporting goods and the local people love boating and fishing in these canals. Bicycles: Holland is also known for the millions of bicycles used by the Dutch as the main means of transport for travel local. You will be amazed to see so many people traveling by bicycle or any other means. The 5 best places to visit in the Amsterdam countryside: the capital has everything to satisfy the needs of any type of holiday you want. Just walk out of Schiphol Airport and you're good to go. Take a canal tour, visit one of many museums, stroll through the red light district, enjoy the nightlife in a good club and then relax in a bar with a joint in hand.Leiden: a beautiful city with a historic center and some good museums. Take a walk in the city center and explore the city through the canals by boat. Leiden is a student city with 20,000 students out of a total population of 120,000. You can get there by direct train from Schiphol Airport; you don't need to go to Amsterdam for transportation. Delft: Delft is a small, traditional city with amazing architecture and heritage. It is the town hall and the churches are famous for their ancient architecture. Delft blue earthenware is famous throughout the world. You can take a train from Amsterdam Centraal and change at Leiden Central Station for Delft. The Hague: The Hague is known as the international city of peace and justice as it is the political center of the Netherlands and the world. This city has 45 museums, 30 theaters and around 4000 shops. The local people of the country like to shop in the city as they have many choices and plenty for a day trip. To move throughout the city you can purchase aHTM day ticket which costs 7.70 euros. With this ticket you can travel on all trams and buses for the whole day without spending a single penny. Gouda: When we hear the name Gouda our mouth fills with the taste of creamy cheese as Gouda is famous for its cheese market. It is a small city with 70,000 people living here and most of them are engaged in the cheese business. This is a perfect destination for a day trip. You can take the train from Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Den Haag to reach Gouda. Country Attractions Keukenhof – Known as the garden of Europe, Keukenhof is a tulip garden that is one of the most visited places in the Netherlands. Keuken means kitchen, the name derives from the word kitchen as in the past it was the vegetable garden of a large country estate. There are more than 700 varieties of tulip flowers in the garden which is spread over 70 acres of land. The best time to visit is April and May. The garden is located in southern Holland between Haarlem and Amsterdam. The best way to reach it is by train from Schiphol Airport. Rijksmuseum – The Dutch national museum is one of the main attractions of Holland and is located in Amsterdam. Started in 1809, today it houses around 7 million works of art including 5000 paintings which are placed in 250 rooms and a vast library with around 35000 books to read. Apart from this, it also showcases traditional Dutch craftsmanship and modern art. Kinderdijk windmills – Kinderdijk, the word means children's dam. Behind the name there is a story that says that in 1421 there was a flood during which a child's cradle got stuck in the dam. This is a small old village with 19 windmills called Kinderdijk windmills which were built in the 17th century. These wooden windmills with 92 foot sails are well preserved to this day and are functional to this day. These majestic buildings are open to visitors from April to October. There are some mill days where the sails are set in motion. Hoge Veluwe National Park – Despite being a small country, the Netherlands also has a good variety of wildlife, spread across the country. But Hoge Veluwe National Park is the largest in terms of area, covering almost 13,800 acres of land. This is one of the most popular day trip destinations for both locals and foreigners. It has the largest sculpture garden in Europe showcasing the works of Hepworth, Dubuffet, Rodin and other artists. Zeeland's spectacular dykes – Zeeland is located in the southwestern part of the Netherlands and includes numerous islands and peninsulas incorporating the deltas of the Massa, Rhine and Scheldt Rivers. This area depends on massive dams and modern flood prevention techniques as most of the land is below sea level. The project was included in the Seven Wonders of the World precisely because of the techniques used to prevent the land from being merged with the sea. Accommodation: Accommodation in the Netherlands offers a wide variety. You can find hotels, hostels, homestays, resorts, apartments, boathouses, villas, etc. Hotels: In Holland there is a wide range that the country offers, from small budget hotels to big brand luxury hotels and business hotels ranging from 30 euros. Hostels: Hostels are especially popular among young travelers because they are cheap and you can meet many new people from different places and cultures. Hostels range from 10 euros. Home Stays: Home stay is another option that tourists can opt for. This is one of the best options you can take if you want to observe Dutch culture closely as you have the opportunity to live with the local people. Homestays are not too muchexpensive as the range goes from 30 euros. Resorts: There are many resorts available in Holland for you to have a pleasant and comfortable stay in the arms of nature. You can book a resort starting from 80 euros for one night. Apartments: You can also book an apartment if you plan to stay for a longer period of time. The apartments can be rented on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. It can cost you from 350 euros per month.Boat House: Boat houses are a completely different experience to stay in for a night or more. Where you can just relax during your holidays and there is no one to disturb your privacy. The cost of boathouses in the Netherlands starts from 50 euros. Food: The Netherlands has a rich gastronomic heritage, from seafood to small biscuits and traditional food. Some of which are mentioned hereKroket: Kroket is a deep dish snack which is actually a deep fried sandwich with meat inside covered in breadcrumbs. The basic Dutch kroket was made with beer or veal. Nowadays there are many different flavors such as chicken, prawn, satay and vegetarian. Patat: Patat means potato in Dutch. Patat is what we call French fries. Dutch fries are a little thicker than french fries and originate from Belgium, but the Dutch love them. They have patats with mayonnaise sauce, peanut sauce or ketchup. Poffertjes: Poffertjes look like small pancakes but much fluffier than pancakes. Butter and icing sugar are the most common toppings for Poffertjes.Drop: Drop is also known as liquorice. It is available in 2 basic flavours, one sweet and the other savory. The Dutch consume liquorice more than any other country in the world as the average consumption of liquorice in Holland is 2 kg per capita per year. Bitterballen: Bitterballen are small balls covered in breadcrumbs and soft on the inside. Bitterballen are served in almost every cafe or bar due to their amazing combination with beer. Budget Budget Transportation: Public transportation in Holland is really good as there are not only roads and railways to travel but you can also travel by water through the country.Trains: Dutch The railway network is worth appreciating as it is spread throughout the country, so you can simply take a train to any part or province of Holland. There are two different classes for traveling by train: first class and second class. If you use a normal OV-chipkaart it means you travel in second class, but if you want more comfort during your journey you can change class using your OV-chipkaart at the NS ticket machine. Bus, tram or subway: these are some means of transport that you can use to move within the city and for short distances. Tram and metro are only available in big cities like Amsterdam, Den Hag, Rotterdam etc. But you can take a bus even in small towns. For trams and buses you can also buy a day ticket with which you can travel for the whole day without paying any more. Traveling via waterways: You can also travel via waterways in the Netherlands but not everywhere. There are many different services you can use to travel on water such as the Amsterdam ferry, the Rotterdam to Dordrecht water bus, water taxis, from Driehoeksveer to Kinderdijk and the wooden islands. Tips for saving money Transport: When the word travel comes to mind, the first thing that comes to mind is transport. Don't worry about heavy transportation costs if you are in Holland because you can easily get public transportation for all kinds of transportation needs. Use public transportation as much as possible to save money. And you can also rent a bike if you want to walk around the city. Keep in mind:.